Our Rare Snow

I don't remember the last time we got snow around here really. Not like this. I can remember getting some good snowfalls when I was a kid, but not any time in recent memory. For Auburn, we have a lot of snow. I haven't been outside to measure it yet, but there's a good 6 inches out there I'm sure.

A lot of people don't understand how we, being as far north as we are, never seem to get more than a dusting of snow. It's true though. Let me put on my junior meteorologist hat for second. Start with the fact that the Seattle-Tacoma and surrounding area is nestled between two mountain ranges, add the Puget Sound (our huge inland waterway), and you've got a recipe for weird weather. Believe it or not, we hardly ever even get thunder and lightning either. Here in Auburn I'm situated in a valley, and sometimes the hills will get snow without me even seeing a flake. Not this year!

It has been snowing all weekend pretty much nonstop. When it did stop, it was not for long--I could always see the next bank of snow clouds coming across the valley toward me from my second floor window. Sometimes it was light, wispy snow and sometimes it was heavy, huge-flake snow. It was pretty cool to be cozy warm all day yesterday and watching the snow come down. I had stopped at Lowe's on the way home from work on Friday and bought a flat-blade shovel. At that time there was about an inch of snow on the ground and I wanted to clear my walk and my driveway. They were predicting unseasonably cold weather after this weekend and I didn't want the snow to turn into ice and stay there. While I was doing it, a neighbor walked by.
"You're probably going to have to do that again on Sunday." he remarked.
"Yeah, I know. That's okay." I said. (It was about all I could say to what looked like a fruitless activity.)

So anyway, I went out yesterday in the late afternoon and shoveled my car out. I figured it was going to snow all night still (I was right) because it was still snowing when I was shoveling, but I figured I had to at least get the upper hand. My car was completely covered and all I could see was the upper half of each wheel and a little above that on each side. Nothing else was visible. I figured just my luck it would rain during the night or something and I'd never get into it.

I would have liked to have went to Suzie's house yesterday, but I just couldn't see chancing it. My car just doesn't do that well in snow, and I based on what we have here in town it would be considerably worse where she lives. I kept thinking all day yesterday that I wished I had a quad runner like her son Denny has. When the snow is like this you can run down any road any time and no cop will ever catch you. I would have ridden it clear out to her house. And remember what I said about me needing my 4x4 truck after I sold it? Ditto.

So here it is--Monday morning of a 3-day work week. It would be nice if I could just stay out of work all week, but I can't. It would be nice if I had a 4-wheel drive vehicle too, but I don't. I enjoy watching the snow come down on a weekend, but when it's time to drive to work it becomes a whole new ballgame. Thank goodness the majority of the people in this area will use this excuse to extend their Christmas holiday week. The roads should be fairly empty of traffic.

I'll cross my fingers after they thaw out. After all, I've got to dig my car out again...